Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Bloggy Happiness

I spent the day yesterday working in my room and it is finally starting to look like a classroom again. I would say most of my projects were blog inspired.
I created a graffiti bulletin board. This idea came from the blog Minds in Bloom. The butcher paper I put on it will change either weekly or every two weeks. There will be a topic on it and the kids can draw and write different things that have to do with the theme. I think the first one will be summer vacation.

I also worked on my behavior chart. That was definitely inspired by the blogging community. I'm using the clip chart with the positive spin on it. I'm pretty excited about trying this out this year. I'm also using the rules that were posted on The Polka Dot Patch blog. I printed them, added them to cutesy card stock and now just need to laminate and post. I'm super excited to be trying something new this year. I think it's important to change things up so that you don't get bored.

I still have some projects left to work on but luckily I have about 2 weeks before the first student arrives in my room. My brain is a little full today because we had our first day of a staff retreat. It was overwhelming discussing all the new things coming up this year. New math series. New common core standards. New evaluation system. I'm really trying to be as positive as possible this year. This blogging community has really helped me be excited about trying new things and the upcoming school year. But how do you cope with all the negativity you can find in a school? How do you handle the other teachers that aren't excited about the school year? I would love to hear your ideas about how to stay upbeat and positive.

Kerri, I try to find positive, upbeat teachers to hang around with at school. I also try to avoid teachers that are negative - I feel like they zap my energy and I don't want that to happen. This sounds simple, but so often we forget this simple advice. If you can find one or two other teachers to meet with on a regular basis and toss around ideas, that helps. CamilleAn Open Door

It is really hard to stay away from the negative at my school. There are lots of self-centered people who try and take any positive and down it. I just try to remember that I can do anything I set my mind to and seek out all the positive I can! I am there for the kids and not for the gossipy high school stuff that goes on. Good luck this year!